Fireballing prospect Ullola added to 40-man ahead of Rule 5 Draft
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HOUSTON – Miguel Ullola, a hard-throwing right-hander who’s ranked as the Astros’ No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline, was added to the 40-man roster ahead of Tuesday’s deadline to protect players from being selected in next month's Rule 5 Draft. Infielder Ramón Urías was designated for assignment.
Ullola, 23, spent the 2025 season with Triple-A Sugar Land, where he struck out 131 hitters in 113 2/3 innings and posted a .186 opponents’ batting average. He also walked 78 batters for a 6.18 walks per nine innings ratio that’s in line with his career Minor League numbers (6.14).
Despite the control problems, Ullola has an electric upper-90s fastball with quality carry and a sharp mid-80s slider that misses bats. He’ll be in the mix to provide the Astros with starting pitching depth in 2026, assuming he can stay in the strike zone.
The Astros acquired Urías at the Trade Deadline from the Orioles, and he slashed .223/.267/.372 with three homers in 94 at-bats, starting 18 games at second base and five at third. He made $3.15 million last year and is entering his final year of arbitration.
With 13 arbitration-eligible players remaining, the Astros could be looking to trim more payroll prior to Friday’s deadline to tender those players a contract for 2026. Among their trade candidates are center fielder Jake Meyers and two-time American League Gold Glove Award-winning utility player Mauricio Dubón.
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The Astros would like to trim payroll to be able to acquire starting pitching, which is their biggest need this offseason. If a club does not tender a contract, the player immediately becomes a free agent.
Meyers, who made $2.3 million last season, is arbitration-eligible for the second time and has value because of his elite defense and the .727 OPS that he posted last season. The Astros could trade him and open next season with either Jacob Melton or Zach Cole as their starting center fielder, with Cam Smith and Jesús Sánchez as options to start in right. Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve will be the primary options in left field.
Dubón won his second Gold Glove last month and is garnering interest from other clubs. He made 104 starts and played seven positions in 2025 while posting a .644 OPS. Dubón is entering his final year of club control after making $5 million last season, so he could traded before Friday’s non-tender deadline.
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The Astros have a glut of infielders after trading for Carlos Correa on July 31 to play third base, where Isaac Paredes became an All-Star before missing two months with a right hamstring strain. The Astros also have an All-Star at shortstop in Jeremy Peña, so Paredes might move around the diamond more in 2026 if he’s not traded.
Astros general manager Dana Brown said at last week’s GM Meetings that he hadn’t talked about trading veteran first baseman Christian Walker, who posted a .718 OPS with 27 homers and 88 RBIs in 154 games in his first season in Houston. Walker will be in the second year of a three-year, $60 million deal that he signed last December. Brown said Paredes will see some time at first base next season, too.
The Astros left two of their Top 30 Prospects unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft, which is Dec. 10 at the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.: right-handed pitchers Alimber Santa (No. 13) and Jose Fleury (No. 17).